Abandoning One's Manhood
by impression
Summary: What if Genma's old friend hadn't been Tendou Soun, but a man named Hibiki Tanima... what if Ranma was engaged to Ryouga? Yes, to clear it up, if all goes as planned, this will eventually contain very light Ranma Ryouga slash. Part five finally up!
1. Lost and Found, Then Lost Again

Abandoning One's Manhood  
Part 1: Prologue: Lost and Found, Then Lost Again  
by Minako  
  
All of the Ranma 1/2 characters and related stuff belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Any original characters I may decide to stick in here are mine, steal them and I'll cry. Then I'll get over it and steal them back, after sending you flames until your email account is full.   
  
-------  
  
A boy wandered through the middle of nowhere. He was rather cut up, and his clothing had probably seen better days. He was stumbling a bit, from exhaustion no doubt, and he looked as if he hadn't slept in days.   
  
Wandering out of the forested area he had been in, the boy walked slowly down the road. After a short time, he stopped short in shock, and stared at the house in front of him.   
  
"No way," he whispered. "This can't be... am I really - finally - home?" The boy stumbled up the steps to the house, then tried his key in the lock. Sure enough, it opened. "WWWOOOOOHHHOOOOO!!" The word echoed down the street, and most people ignored it. Only a few stopped to stare at the boy, crying in the open doorway. After a moment, the boy regained his composure and entered the house.  
  
Once inside, he dropped his large bag on the ground near the door, and tried to remember just where his room was. After a minute, he decided to take a chance, and against his better judgement, he headed upstairs with the bag in tow. Lucky for him, his room was right at the top. Shoving through the door, he collapsed on the bed, and began laughing in joy.   
  
After nearly a year, Ryouga had finally made it back home.  
  
-------  
  
"Hey, old man! Just where are we goin'?"   
  
Genma paused to turn and look at his son, "To visit my old friend Hibiki."   
  
Ranma looked genuinely amazed, "You have friends?"   
  
Genma replied by elbow dropping his son on the head, "Of course I do! Foolish boy!"   
  
Ranma shoved his father away from him, "Yeah whatever. Why do I have to go?" Genma ignored him and started to walk away. "Hey you! What's the deal? Answer me! Why do I have to go?" Ranma had a very bad feeling about this.  
  
Genma paused, "I want you to meet his daughter."   
  
Ranma looked surprised, then he punched his father, "I don't need any help getting a girlfriend thank you," he growled.   
  
Genma backed up to a safe distance before responding, "It's not quite like that boy. You see, you're already engaged to her."   
  
Ranma twitched, "I'm WHAT!?" Genma was off and running before Ranma was finished speaking, "Get back here!" Ranma yelled, taking off after him and wishing he had something he could throw.  
  
"It was arranged before either of you were born! We decided to join our two families! I haven't heard from him since then!"   
  
Ranma growled in frustration, "The hell! If you haven't heard from him since then how the heck do you even know he's got a daughter?"   
  
This thought stopped Genma in his tracks and Ranma slammed into his back, "Well... of course it's a girl... it must be," having forgotten the danger his son posed, Genma then took a shot upside the head.   
  
"STUPID OLD MAN!!" yelled Ranma. He watched in satisfaction as his father soared through the air. Without missing a beat, he began walking in the general direction his father had flew in, a confused look on his face. 'Hibiki... why do I know that name?' He wondered as he walked. Then he shrugged it off 'The old man must've mentioned it sometime' and he left it without another thought.   
  
-------  
  
Ryouga woke up. He stared at the ceiling and tried to remember just where he was this time. 'Oh yeah, home' He sat on his bed crosslegged and looked around the room, aside from the large bag laying on the floor, it looked pretty much the way it had before he'd left. Things were strewn about the floor, clothing in odd places, furniture turned over. He grinned. Boy, he'd been in awful mood after Ranma hadn't shown.   
  
He sighed and flopped back on his bed, debating about whether he should stay home to see if anyone would show up or not. He laughed at the thought, 'Yeah right, my parents' directional sense is about as good as mine,' he smiled at the fact that he wasn't the only one so terribly lost.   
  
He sighed again as he tried to think of what to do. He thought about all the places he'd ended up, and how long it had been since he'd been home. 'High school's started... I haven't been here since junior high... this is all Ranma's fault! If he hadn't left when he did!' his anger began to return, 'Ranma... how dare you... it's all your fault... your fault-'   
  
"YOUR FAULT!!" he jumped up from his bed and made his way out of the room, just barely remembering to pick up his large travelling bag on the way out. Walking downstairs, he walked through the door in front of him, exiting the house. Slamming the door, but forgetting to lock it, Ryouga ran down the street, screaming in rage, "RANMA!!!" this time, a few more people stopped to stare, but most of them just got out of his way and continued with their lives.   
  
Hours later, he stopped, his rage mostly gone. He looked around himself and sighed, 'Man, I'd kinda wanted to take a bath before getting lost... oh well.' He thought as he wandered in another random direction, looking for a hot spring this time, 'Ranma... this is your fault.'  
  
-------  
  
Not too far from where Ryouga wandered, a man stood looking around at his surroundings. He sighed and continued walking towards the city, brushing near black hair out of his eyes as he stared at a map. After a long minute, he threw the map into the oversized bag on his back and continued to walk.  
  
"Defective thing," was all he said as he slowly made his way into the city.  
  
-------  
  
tbc  
  
Well, I went through and reread the fic, having lost my train of thought when my computer broke, and wanting to update for all the people who keep asking me to. I realized that I had a lot of stylistic errors, and that I'd spelt the word prologue incorrectly. So, it's still got some troubles, but hopefully it's a bit more coherent now. Please review, and thank you to all who have reviewed this series, I'll try to write more soon. 


	2. It's Around Here Somewhere

Abandoning One's Manhood  
Part 2: It's Around Here Somewhere...  
by Minako  
  
All of the Ranma 1/2 characters and related stuff belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Any original characters I may decide to stick in here are mine, steal them and I'll cry. Then I'll get over it and steal them back, after sending you flames until your email account is full.   
  
blah - the writing on Genma-panda's signs  
  
-------  
  
A man walked up the steps and through the door to the house. He paused in the doorway, and turned to look at the door, 'I didn't leave that unlocked,' he thought to himself.   
  
"Ryouga? Ryouga, are you home?" there came no answer. The man closed the door, then promptly slipped on something on the floor. He slowly picked himself up, then looked at the small postcard he'd slipped on. There was a picture of a panda bear on it. He flipped it over and tried to decipher the writing on the back. It took a long while, then he smiled.   
  
"Ranma, such a nice name for a girl," he said cheerfully, "It says here they should be around sometime today. I think I'll go fix them something to eat when they arrive, it must've been a long trip from China," the man walked deeper into the house. He made it to the dining room, then a bedroom, then the bathroom. He sighed, "I thought this house had a kitchen. Oh well, I guess I'll have a bath first."  
  
-------  
  
Ranma yawned. He was tired, or rather she was tired. And wet. She hated being wet. Being wet meant being female. She glared at the sky, the cause of her being not only wet and female, but cold. She couldn't think of any way to blame being tired on the sky. Yawning again, she tried to figure out the last time she'd slept. She came up with three days, but may have been wrong - one's brain gets a little funny with sleep deprivation. Her stomach growled, and she tried to figure out the last time she had eaten. Growling softly, she quickened her pace to come even with the panda in front of her.   
  
"Hey old man, I thought you said you knew where we were going!" she snapped at him. The panda nodded, "Yeah right, we've been wandering Japan for almost a week now!" the panda nodded. Ranma twitched, and opened her mouth to say something else. Then she noticed something yellow flashing in the shrubs by the side of the road. Pausing, she tried to pinpoint exactly where it was. After a minute, she darted off the road and caught the small thing in her hand. The pig squealed. Holding it by the yellow bandanna it had on around its neck, Ranma examined it. It was small, cute and black.   
  
Her stomach growled again. It also looked very edible.   
  
She was brought out of her thoughts by a panda's fist hitting her upside her head, "Hey! Whatcha do that for!?" she yelled spinning to face her father, but never releasing the pig.   
  
The panda stared at her, then at the pig before turning and crying on the ground, Oh! My son grows more female by the moment! The things it does to a father's heart! the sign read.   
  
Ranma kicked the panda in the back of the head, "What's that supposed to mean!?"   
  
The panda pointed at the pig, then turned and began writing on another sign. Ranma waited impatiently for her father to finish writing, silently seething at the insult to her manhood, Alas, my son now keeps cute things as his pets - the rest of the sign was quickly becoming illegible due to the rain.   
  
Ranma sighed, "Gimme a break Pop, I was thinkin' we could eat it, I mean, when was the last time we ate?" the panda turned and examined the pig, then nodded again.  
  
We'll eat it later, we're almost there now, the sign read.  
  
Ranma sighed and nodded, then carefully tied the small pig to her bag. It looked absolutely horrified. She grinned, "Man, if you weren't a pig, I could swear you were afraid," then, lifting the heavy bag back to her shoulder, Ranma continued after her father, not noticing the yellow and green clothing, the red, unopened umbrella, or the large travelling bag off to the  
  
side of the road.  
  
-------  
  
"Hmm... This is not a kitchen," the man sighed as he looked around at the bedroom. It was trashed, furniture flipped over, clothing in odd places, stuff all over the floor, "I should really make Ryouga clean his room," he sighed. Then turned and left the room. Before he knew it, he was in the bathroom again. Shaking his head, he left, only to find himself in a different bedroom. Looking around, he smiled. This room was in far better order, though nearly empty, "Well, I may as well get some sleep while I'm here," with that thought, the man went to bed.  
  
-------  
  
"Hey, I thought you said this place was close!" Ranma yelled, slamming her elbow down on the panda's head. The pig snorted. It was still working on getting over the fact that the girl's name was Ranma. The bag was jostled violently as Ranma was tossed down a hill. The pig felt itself get loose, only to be caught by the red-head's hand, "What the hell did you do that for!!??" she yelled.   
  
The panda jumped down the hill after her and held up a sign, This is it, the sign read.   
  
Ranma glanced over her shoulder, then turned around fully, bringing the pig around with her, "Whoah, no kidding," ahead of them was a large city. The pig thought he recognized it, but then again, knowing this particular pig, him recognizing it could mean it was anywhere.  
  
-------  
  
The man woke up and looked around the room. He smiled as he remembered the occurrences of earlier in the day. Rising to his feet, he looked around the room until he found the door, then he left the room, only to find himself in the bathroom. He sighed.   
  
"What is it with me and the bathroom?" he muttered, then he turned and walked down the hall, only to end up in the dining room, "Ok, if I'm in the dining room, the kitchen must be nearby," turning slowly, he looked for a door into a kitchen. That was when the doorbell rang, "Oh, that must be them," the man headed upstairs.   
  
-------  
  
Ranma rang the doorbell for what had to be the fifteenth time. "I don't think they're home," she announced, glad for a reason not to stay. Her stomach growled, and she wondered if they should sneak into the house and grab something to eat anyway. Perhaps then she could knock some sense into her old man, or at least knock him out, and head back to China to look for a cure.  
  
The panda hit her on the head with a sign that read: They HAVE to be home, then he went up and knocked on the door. Hard.   
  
"Coming! I'm, coming! Please, give me a minute," the voice came from inside. Yet, no one arrived at the door.   
  
"Hello?" called out Ranma.  
  
"I'm coming, really!" the voice said.   
  
Ranma sighed. Five minutes passed, "The hell he's coming," she muttered.   
  
It was then that the door opened to reveal a man about her father's age. He had short brown/black hair and green eyes. He looked vaguely familiar to Ranma, but she couldn't figure out why.  
  
"I'm really very sorry about that," said the man, "You must be Ranma."   
  
She nodded, "Yes, I am," she said, noting that her voice was female, and cursing herself for not remembering to get hot water before coming.  
  
"Good, good. Come in. I'm Hibiki Tanima. May I ask why you're travelling with a pig and a panda?"   
  
"Um, that's a long story," Ranma was a bit confused at the man's reaction, couldn't he tell she was female? She was starting to get a very bad feeling about this.  
  
"All right then, they're welcome here, I don't mind. Where's your father Ranma?"   
  
Ranma sighed, "Uh, he's around," she did not want to be the one to explain jusenkyou to the man.  
  
"Alright, well, come along, I'll show you to the dining room," he headed upstairs.  
  
"Your dining room's upstairs?" Ranma asked, she'd never met anyone who'd put their dining room on a floor separate from their kitchen. She could see the kitchen through the door down the hall.   
  
"No, I suppose it isn't." He smiled and laughed. "This way." He led them down the hall, and into the kitchen. Ranma heard him mutter something that sounded like, "Oh, so now I find it," but she ignored it. He walked through the next door, and smiled, "Ah, here it is," he said, proud of himself for some reason Ranma couldn't figure out, and once again, he reminded her of someone who she couldn't quite place, "Take a seat, tell me about yourself. How's your father?"   
  
Ranma removed her bag and sat, and the panda sat behind her. Absently, she took the pig off the top of her bag and placed it on the table in front of her.  
  
-------  
  
In the confusion and questions that came, no one noticed that the pig had tears in its eyes as it saw someone it hadn't seen in nearly five years.  
  
-------  
  
tbc  
  
I think Tanima's a bit like Tofu-sensei. Absent-minded, and he runs around laughing at his mistakes. Oh well, maybe it's just me. Please review, and thanks to those who already have 


	3. Meet Ranma

Abandoning One's Manhood  
Part 3: Meet Ranma  
by Minako  
  
All of the Ranma 1/2 characters and related stuff belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Any original characters I may decide to stick in here are mine, steal them and I'll cry. Then I'll get over it and steal them back, after sending you flames until your email account is full.   
  
- flashback  
  
blah- setting  
  
blah - Genma-panda's signs  
  
-------  
  
The panda sighed. His son was useless. Why hadn't he said anything about the curse yet? And he was - he was acting so - so - female - his SON! The panda let out another sigh as it thought about what it's wife would think of this.   
  
"How about something to eat? Then we can talk about the engagement," suggested Tanima.  
  
"Um... alright, Mr. Hibiki."   
  
The man smiled. "Please, just Tanima's fine, I never could stand formalities, alright Ranma-chan?" Ranma winced, but nodded, "Good. Now where..."   
  
Ranma wordlessly pointed at the doorway behind him.   
  
He laughed, "Oh thank you!"   
  
The panda sighed for the third time. Was it just him or had Tanima gotten worse?  
  
-------  
  
Tanima walked into the kitchen, thinking of what a charming young girl Ranma seemed to be, though she was a bit shy. But then again, shy wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He smiled. Walking to the cupboard, he began to search for something to make. There was very little food in the cupboards, a downside to never being home.   
  
"Well, looks like we don't have much, I'll have to go the store. What would you like, Ranma-chan?" he didn't notice Ranma's wince at the name Ranma-chan.  
  
"You really shouldn't go to the trouble..." she started, and Tanima marvelled at how polite she was, considering she was related to Genma.  
  
"No dear, we have no food in the house I'm afraid I haven't been home in a while," he shrugged, "So unless you want me to cook your pet pig, it looks like I'll have to go shopping," he barely got his hands up in time to catch the pig as Ranma tossed it to him.   
  
"Go for it," she said, "That's the only reason I've been keeping it."   
  
Tanima blinked, 'Ok,' he thought to himself, 'so I guess she isn't the sweet, innocent girl she appears to be.'  
  
-------  
  
Tanima was boiling the water to cook the pig in. Ranma sat up on one of the counters watching as he tried to convince the pig it wasn't afraid. The pig looked terrified. Ranma grinned. She still thought it was weird the pig was so afraid, but shrugged it off as coincidence.  
  
She glanced over at the panda, who was glowering at her for all it was worth. She sighed. She really hadn't had the chance to tell him about the curse.  
  
"Um... Mr. Hibiki?" the name was still oddly familiar to her.  
  
"Tanima, dear," she winced again, she couldn't help it, she hated being referred to as a girl, even if he didn't mean it as an insult, "You must be wondering why you haven't met your fiance yet," Ranma sighed, this wasn't what she'd meant, but a complaint about how he'd thought she was a guy would work, "You see, at this time, I have no idea where my son is."   
  
Ranma's eyes widened.  
  
Oblivious to Ranma's obvious shock, Tanima placed the small black pig into the pot of now heated water. A moment later, a boy came out, his skin red from the heat. He was nude, and trying for all he was worth to cover himself. There was silence, and Ranma began to wonder how much more she could take.   
  
"Um... Never mind, here he is."   
  
Ranma paled a bit. It was then that everything snapped into place. Why the man looked familiar, the bad feeling that had been following her since they arrived, the name 'Hibiki', and all the other things that had seemed odd or familiar. "Ryouga..." Ranma said the name softly, in surprise more than anything else.   
  
Tanima turned to stare at Ranma, "You two have met?"   
  
Ranma nodded, while Ryouga just looked confused. After a long moment of everyone staring at everyone else, Ranma shook her head, "Man, Ryouga... how did you end up in Jusenkyou?" She asked him.   
  
Ryouga blinked, then blushed, trying to cover himself again. "Ummm... can I please have some clothes?" he asked, ignoring her question.  
  
"Yes, I guess it is rather improper for you to be with your fiancee like this," Ryouga's father looked thoughtful, while Ranma paled even more.  
  
"Fiancee... you mean Ryouga - and me - no -" she looked seriously distressed. Then she turned on the panda, "What the hell was this!? Some kinda joke!?" she yelled. The panda began to scribble on a sign.  
  
I had no idea! Truly! I thought it was a girl!   
  
Ranma continued to seethe, "Yeah right!"   
  
Tanima studied the sign, "That writing, it looks just like my friend Saotome's."  
  
"That's because it is!" Ranma grabbed the pot off the stove, ignoring the way it burnt her hands, and dumped the boiling water over the panda's head. The panda promptly turned into a man.  
  
"Sao... Saotome..." Tanima promptly collapsed.   
  
Ranma sighed. Why hadn't she seen this coming?  
  
-------  
  
'Saotome?' Ryouga couldn't believe it... the panda's name was Saotome? Then something occurred to him.  
  
In the Forest Travelling with the panda and the girl...  
  
Alas, my son now keeps cute things as his pets... the rest of the sign was quickly becoming illegible due to the rain. Ranma sighed.  
  
"Gimme a break Pop, I was thinkin' we could eat it, I mean, when was the last time we ate?"  
  
'Pop? Son? Saotome? Ranma!?' Ryouga now found himself staring at the girl. She had a pigtail, and seemed to know who he was, though he could swear he'd never met her before, but she looked so familiar - could it be - had Ranma been cursed at Jusenkyou?  
  
"STUPID BOY!!" The panda who was now a man slammed Ranma over the head, "It didn't have to be THAT hot!!"   
  
Ranma ignored the panda/man and glowered. Sighing, she reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of Chinese style black pants, "Here," she said, thrusting them at Ryouga. He took them gratefully, and was amazed that they seemed to fit, another point in the direction of Jusenkyou, since she was a lot shorter than he was. Ignoring the arguing pair, he put some more water on  
  
the stove, and waited impatiently for it to heat. While he was waiting, he dragged his father away from the fight that appeared to be breaking out between the panda-man and Ranma.  
  
It had been a long time since Ryouga and his father had been home at the same time. It was odd to see him now. He had cut his hair for one thing.  
  
"I had no idea! Really!" Ryouga blinked, remembering the situation at hand.  
  
"Yeah right!" the girl was glowing an interesting red colour by this time.   
  
Carefully, Ryouga tip-toed around them to the stove, where he removed the kettle of now hot water. Sneaking up behind the girl, he dumped the hot water over her head.   
  
She yelped in surprise when the hot water touched her, and her voice went down mid-yelp, "Whatcha do that for!" the now male Ranma snapped at Ryouga. Ryouga stared at Ranma for a long moment. He watched in absent amusement as surprise erased the anger on Ranma's face as he realized Ryouga'd figured him out.  
  
Ryouga found a little amusement in that, but right now, his mind was focused on the fact that his worst enemy was standing in front of him in the flesh. This was his chance, his chance to pay Ranma back for all the suffering he'd caused him. Yet all he could do was stand there, staring at Ranma, marvelling that something in his life had gone right.  
  
-------  
  
Tanima groaned and rubbed his head, forcing himself to sit up. He blinked as he stared at the scene in front of him. His son and another boy, who happened to a look remarkably like Ranma were staring at each other in the middle of the kitchen. Ryouga in a pair of pants now, and the other boy dripping wet. In the background, his old friend Genma Saotome stood staring at the two boys. Ranma was nowhere to be seen.  
  
Tanima cleared his throat as he stood up, causing both boys and Genma to turn to him in surprise.   
  
Ryouga walked over to him, ignoring the other boy for the moment, "Dad, are you ok?"   
  
Tanima nodded once, then looked around again, he still couldn't see Ranma, "Yes, I'm fine. What happened to Ranma?"   
  
The other boy cleared his throat, "Uh... I'm Saotome Ranma."   
  
Tanima blinked at him for a moment, "What did you say?"   
  
The boy looked uncomfortable, "I'm Saotome Ranma," he repeated.   
  
Tanima swallowed hard, "Ok... that's nice," Tanima smiled at the boy, then promptly collapsed again.  
  
-------  
  
Genma winced as Tanima hit the floor again. His best friend's son turned to glare at Ranma.  
  
"Ranma... THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!"   
  
Genma blinked, and wondered how the two knew each other. He carefully inched his way over to where Tanima lay on the floor, hoping they wouldn't notice him as they started fighting in the kitchen, 'Why did I know something like this would happen...?' he sighed inwardly, and cowered over in the corner near his unconscious friend as the Ryouga boy began to glow.   
  
-------  
  
Ranma winced as Ryouga began to glow a dark blue shade. He took a step back.  
  
"Ranma!" Ryouga charged at him, and Ranma barely had the space to dodge out of the way in the cramped kitchen.  
  
"Hey! Ryouga, calm down man!"   
  
Ryouga glared at him, and attacked again, "Calm down!? How can you say that! You ruined my life, and now you expect me to CALM DOWN!?"   
  
Ranma blinked, 'When did I ruin his life?' he wondered to himself, ducking under a kick. "Whaddya mean 'ruined your life'?!" he yelled, jumping over a punch and nearly cracking his head on the ceiling, then wincing as he smashed through one of the counters.   
  
"Don't pretend you don't know! You put me in a living hell, and now you'll pay for it! DIE!"   
  
Ranma winced as Ryouga rushed him again.   
  
"Excuse me..." Ryouga stopped with his fist barely an inch from Ranma's face. They both turned to look at Tanima, who had once again awakened, "Could someone please explain to me what's going on, and if that's too difficult, could you at least find somewhere other than my kitchen to  
  
hold your fight?"   
  
Ryouga glared at Ranma for a long second before stepping back, and Ranma released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.  
  
"We'll finish this later, Saotome," Ryouga stated before walking over to where Tanima and Genma were on the other side of the room. Ranma sighed and walked over to join them.  
  
-------  
  
"Do you mean to tell me that you're the same girl I met before?"   
  
Ranma nodded, "Yeah, I am."  
  
Tanima turned to Genma. "And you're the panda she brought in with her?"   
  
Genma nodded, "Yes, I'm afraid so."   
  
Tanima swallowed and turned to his son, "And you'rer Ranma's pet pig."   
  
Ryouga sweatdropped, "I am NOT Ranma's pet, but I am the pig."  
  
Tanima shook his head, "How is this possible?"   
  
Genma sighed, and shifted his position on the floor in the dining room, "Well, you see Hibiki, there's this place in China called Jusenkyou, and it's a training ground full of cursed springs. The curse of the springs is that whoever falls in them, shall take the body of the last thing to drown there. Both Ranma and I fell in," Ranma glared at Genma, but made no comment.  
  
"But, why would you go to such a place!?"   
  
Genma coughed, "I read nothing of a curse in the tourist guide."   
  
Ranma slammed his fist into the side of Genma's head, "That's because you can't read Chinese."   
  
Genma nodded, "Of course not."   
  
Tanima nodded, "So, how does this curse work?" he asked, curious, now that he knew some of the background.  
  
"Well, you see, cold water activates the curse, and hot water reverses it," Genma grabbed Ranma by the front of his shirt and threw him into the small pond in the yard. Tanima's eyes widened as the young red-haired girl from earlier that day came out, "As you can see, cold water turns him into a girl," Genma lifted the kettle of tea off the table and poured it over the girl's head. "And hot water turns him back into a boy, like so."   
  
Tanima nodded, "And you, Ryouga?"   
  
Ryouga cleared his throat, "I went to Jusenkyou, looking for Ranma, when I was kicked into a spring by a red-haired girl," he said, glaring at Ranma, "Then she ran off, and I came out of the spring a pig!"   
  
Tanima nodded, "Why were you looking for Ranma, son? Did you two know each other?"   
  
"We were in school together for a while, until he skipped out on our fight."   
  
Ranma glared at him, "I waited for you for 3 days!"  
  
"I was there on the fourth!"  
  
"Gimme a break, you expected me to sit around and wait THAT long!?"  
  
"YES! A REAL man would've! "  
  
"What the hell did you just say!" Ranma stood up and glared down at Ryouga.   
  
Ryouga stood up as well, "I said you're a WOMAN!"   
  
"Yes, I guess one could see it that way," they both turned to Tanima, "Don't you think Saotome?"  
  
"I guess so, a promise is a promise, and I have to protect my family honour."   
  
Ranma's eyes narrowed, "What're you two talkin' about?"   
  
Tanima smiled, and poured a glass of water over Ranma's head, "Your engagement, of course."  
  
-------  
  
tbc  
  
Poor Ranma, it gets worse for the guy too, but that's yet to come, ne? the storyline up to this point is the same as in the anime. Ranma and Ryouga knew each other in school, Ryouga challenged Ranma and didn't show up, after three days, Ranma left, and Ryouga followed him to Jusenkyou to finish their 'man to man fight'. Please review, and thanks to those who already have. 


	4. You Want Me to Marry THAT Girl?

Abandoning One's Manhood  
Part 4: You Want Me to Marry THAT Girl!?  
by Minako  
  
All of the Ranma 1/2 characters and related stuff belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Any original characters I may decide to stick in here are mine, steal them and I'll cry. Then I'll get over it and steal them back, after sending you flames until your email account is full.   
  
= flashback  
  
-------  
  
Ryouga paled. He hadn't realized...  
  
"You must be wondering why you haven't met your fiance yet. You see, at this time, I have no idea where my son is."  
  
Fiance... me... and... RANMA!?  
  
"Fiance... you mean Ryouga - and me - no -" the girl with the pigtail looked seriously distressed. Then she turned on the panda, "What the hell was this!? Some kinda joke!?" she yelled. The panda began to scribble on a sign.  
  
I had no idea! Truly! I thought it was a girl!  
  
Ryouga swallowed, and turned to look at Ranma, an equally pale Ranma looked back at him. In sync, they turned back to their parents.  
  
"You don't mean..."  
  
"You can't think..."   
  
Tanima smiled at the pair, "Well, yes. A promise is a promise, and with Ranma half girl, that promise can be kept."   
  
Genma nodded.   
  
"What the hell do you mean 'half girl'!? He's still half guy!"   
  
"I'm ALL guy!"   
  
Genma looked pointedly at Ranma, "You don't LOOK all guy," he stated.   
  
Ranma looked down at his female self, "Maybe not at the moment, but I think guy!"   
  
Tanima blinked and looked over at her, "How do you think guy?"   
  
Ranma looked surprised, then seemed to think about it, "The hell if I know!"  
  
"So you're a girl?"   
  
Ranma looked frustrated, "I didn't say that!"  
  
"You didn't?"  
  
"NO!!"  
  
"I don't care if he's a guy or a girl, I'm NOT marrying Saotome Ranma. EVER. Male or female."  
  
"Even for family honour?"   
  
Ryouga stiffened, "If he was a girl, I'd consider it, for the family honour. But where the hell's the honour in marrying another guy?"  
  
"You tell him Ryouga," said Ranma, nodding in agreement.  
  
"You shut up before I kill you."  
  
"Calm down you two. I'm sure there's honour in it somewhere, and besides, he's only half guy."  
  
"I'm all guy!!"  
  
"But only half the time, besides, you two are such good friends to begin with..."  
  
"FRIENDS!? He's trying to KILL me!"  
  
"TRYING!!?? I'm going to SUCCEED!!" Ryouga stood up again.  
  
"You wanna fight now!? Then make your move!!" Ranma stood up and took a defensive stance.  
  
"Prepare yourself Ranma!!"  
  
"Look how cute they are," Tanima said, smiling.  
  
"HEY!! We are NOT cute!!" they yelled in unision. They both turned and glared at each other.  
  
"So, it's decided then," Tanima clapped his hands together and smiled.  
  
"Yes, it's been decided, I'm NOT marrying another guy! Espcially not RANMA."  
  
"Same here!"  
  
"At least they agree," offered Genma  
  
"They'll give in sooner or later," said Tanima, "Now, sit down boys," both Ranma and Ryouga reluctantly sat, and Tanima poured them each a cup of tea, dumping an extra cup over Ranma's head to change him back.  
  
"I'm not giving in," Ranma said softly.   
  
Tanima ignored him. "So, Genma, do you know of any way to make a Jusenkyou curse permanent?"  
  
Ranma choked on his tea.  
  
-------  
  
"Alright Ranma, you can stay in this room. Your father will be next door to your room on the right, Ryouga's at the top of the stairs, and I'm across from you... or is it the other way around?"   
  
Ranma grinned slightly, "Don't worry, I'll figure it out."   
  
Tanima smiled, "I'm glad one of us will," he smiled again, then offered Ranma a towel. "The bathroom's downstairs somewhere I believe. You can go take a bath if you can find it."   
  
Ranma took the towel and nodded, "Thanks," Tanima smiled and left the room. Ranma dropped his bag on the floor beside himself, then sat down cross-legged, putting the towel on the floor. He closed his eyes. He honestly couldn't think of anything worse that could've happened. No, the only thing that could've been worse was not getting to eat. He'd only agreed to go because he figured he'd get a good meal out of the deal, and if he was lucky, the girl wouldn't be interested. He didn't want to get married.   
  
"Well guess what, your fiancee's a guy who's trying to kill you, you're home free," he sighed again and picked up the towel. Studying it for a moment, he stood up and began to hunt for the bath.   
  
-------  
  
Ryouga sat down in the furo and leaned his head against the edge as he basked in the hot water. He liked the hot water a lot, especially since Jusenkyou. He made a face. Ranma. Why hadn't he killed him yet, and how the hell did they end up ENGAGED? Ryouga sighed, 'Maybe it would've been better if I'd never made it home,' he thought to himself. The door slid open, and  
  
he looked up, a surprised and naked red haired girl stood in the doorway. Ryouga fought off the incoming nosebleed, 'It's RANMA,' he told himself. She stepped in and picked up a bucket, filling it with hot water. Ryouga looked away as she did so, blushing.  
  
"Sorry. I wouldn't've come in here a girl if I'd known you were here."   
  
Ryouga nodded, and turned back around to glare when he heard the hot water splash as Ranma rinsed himself off. The other boy stepped into the furo. They sat in silence for a long time, just soaking in the hot water and ignoring one another's existence.   
  
"You know what?" Ranma said after a while.   
  
Ryouga glanced at him, "What?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
"This sucks," he answered simply. Despite his anger, and embarassment, despite the burning hatred he felt towards Ranma, Ryouga laughed.  
  
-------  
  
tbc  
  
Well, I cut out a large chunk of this part 'cause I'm thinking of switching the original plot around... kinda got stuck for how to continue it on. This part is still up for editing. Gotta love those double contractions, ne? Please review and thank you to those who already have. You're the only reason I haven't given up on this yet. 


	5. The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High School

Abandoning One's Manhood  
Part 5: The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High School  
by Minako  
  
All of the Ranma 1/2 characters and related stuff belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Any original characters I may decide to stick in here are mine, steal them and I'll cry. Then I'll get over it and steal them back, after sending you flames until your email account is full.   
  
See? I wasn't lying all those times I said that there was more to come. It may have been four years in the making, but I present to you Abandoning One's Manhood Part 4 - far less amazing than that much time in the making should require, ne? But I try.   
  
-------  
  
"School!? You can't be serious!"   
  
Genma glared sternly at his son, "Yes, school. We'll be here a long time, boy, probably the rest of your life."   
  
Ranma's eyes narrowed, "We've already been over this, old man, I am not marrying Ryouga!"   
  
Genma threw a school bag at Ranma, which the teen instinctively caught, "Yes, you are. You'll thank me for this one day, boy."   
  
Ranma sweatdropped, "For some reason I doubt that," despite his complaining, he shouldered the small book bag, then glared at his father, "So, where am I goin'?" Ranma asked in resignation.  
  
Sitting down on the front porch, Genma pulled out a map of Tokyo, "Tanima gave me this. You're going to Furinkan High School which is here," he pointed to a point on the map, "we're here," he pointed somewhere a few centimetres away.  
  
Ranma shrugged, "Kay," he turned and headed down the path to the front gate.  
  
"Ranma!" his father shouted after him, "Wait for your fiance! You know he can't find his way there on his own."  
  
The pigtailed boy sweatdropped, "Would you stop calling him that!? Ryouga and I are NOT getting married!"  
  
"Stay there!" Genma snapped, and he disappeared back into the house.  
  
Ranma continued on his way, muttering under his breath. Before he'd reached the first corner he needed to turn, he heard footsteps behind him. Ryouga'd caught up.   
  
"Just like old times, huh, Ryouga?" Ranma said after a few minutes.  
  
"Yeah, until you ran out, coward," Ryouga muttered bitterly.  
  
Ranma spun around, "Gimme a break! I waited there, it's not MY fault you were so late!"  
  
"Pitiful excuses!"  
  
"You wanna fight now!?"  
  
"Fine!" Ryouga lunged at Ranma, umbrella in hand, and the pigtailed boy neatly dodged the attack.  
  
"C'mon, Ryouga, can't you move faster than that?" Ranma taunted, placing his hands on his hips. It was while standing still in the sidewalk that the old woman splashed him. Ranma, now female, stood still for a long moment in shock. The woman moved on, oblivious to the pigtailed boy turned girl.  
  
Ryouga pointedly let Ranma stand there until the old woman was definitely gone, not wanting to be splashed himself. He lunged while Ranma was still in her stupor, and got a good hit in, sending Ranma stumbling back several steps.  
  
She regained her balance, and glared at Ryouga. Taking a stance herself, she opened her mouth to snap at Ryouga, but decided against it when the lost boy hit the ground, a bokken having slammed into his head. Ranma blinked a couple of times, then turned to the owner of the sword.  
  
The man had short brown hair, and was clothed in a blue and black kendoist uniform. He was quite likely older than Ranma, standing a few inches taller than the lost boy, and nearly a foot taller than the pigtailed girl. He flashed the girl in question a smile.  
  
"The insolent wretch has been defeated by none other than myself. As swiftly as the wind blows, I have come to your rescue, lovely one."  
  
Ryouga jumped up to his feet, and turned on the boy, "Who the hell do you think you are, barging in on a man's fight?!" he snapped.  
  
"Still conscious? Impressive. Fine, I shall give you my name, you seem a worthy enough opponent to know that much I am the rising star of the high school kendo world, they call my the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High School, Kunou Tatewaki, age 17."  
  
"Didja hear that?" Ranma turned and saw that they were attracting a crowd - the group nearest her was of girls, presumably students, judging by their matching dresses.  
  
"Yeah, since when is Kunou the 'Blue Thunder'?"  
  
"Last I heard, he was calling himself 'Shooting Star' or something like that."  
  
"Weirdo."  
  
"Who's the new guy?"  
  
"Wasn't he here a couple of years ago?"  
  
"Maybe, he sure does look familiar."  
  
"Well, he's either really brave or really stupid if he's going to take on Kunou."  
  
"Probably both."  
  
Ranma turned back to the boys in question.  
  
"And you, insolent cur! Who're you to attack a defenseless woman and call it a man's fight?" Kunou cried, glowering at Ryouga while pointing his bokken at Ranma.  
  
"Excuse me!?" Ranma shrieked, "Defenseless!? Woman!?" she pushed up her too-long sleeves, "Why I oughta-" several of the people in the crowd grabbed at her and pulled her back, "Hey! Lemme go!!"  
  
"You don't want to fight with Kunou."  
  
"Yeah, nobody beats him."  
  
The voices came from all around her, and there were too many people in her way - she didn't really want to hit anyone not involved or unable to fight. It just wouldn't be honourable.  
  
"Answer!" Kunou cried, his attention back on the bandannaed boy.  
  
"Uhhh," Ryouga tried to gather his wits, "Hibiki Ryouga. 16."  
  
"Hibiki Ryouga, prepare yourself!" he shouted, waving his bokken, "We shall do battle." He turned his attentions away from Ryouga and plowed through the crowd to where Ranma was being restrained, "Pigtailed girl, should I defeat this coward, I know you will be overcome with gratitude. In order to repay your debt, I shall allow you to date with me."  
  
Ranma stared at the older boy for a long moment. She opened and closed her mouth several times before pulling free of the hands holding her back and slamming her fist into Kunou's jaw, "Why exactly would I want a date with YOU!?" as her fist connected, and Kunou was thrown over the fence and into the water below.  
  
The crowd stormed over and looked over the edge, "Hey, look he's floating up to the surface!"  
  
"I think he's unconscious."  
  
"Wow, that girl sure packs a punch."  
  
"Do you think Kunou'll drown like that?"  
  
"Maybe we should help him?"  
  
"Look at the time, we're going to be late!" with that, the crowd dispersed and ran in the direction of the school, leaving Kunou's prone body in the water.  
  
Ignoring the crowd, Ranma turned and headed down a different street. Confused, Ryouga followed her, still confused from their encounter with the kendoist.  
  
-------  
  
Gasping for air, Kunou jerked his head out of the water and sat in the shallow river. Most men of his stature, or, at least perceived stature, would be horrified at being defeated so easily by such a small girl. Kunou smiled.  
  
"The pigtailed girl," he murmured to himself, "So strong, so beautiful. Too filled with womanly pride to allow herself to be in my debt, she removed me from the battle," his retrospective smile turned thoughtful, "but how to woo such a proud warrior woman?"  
  
He sat in the water pondering this for several moments before an idea hit him. "Yes, that shall work perfectly. I shall fight until I win my flaming haired beauty's heart, and then... and then..."  
  
Kunou's laughter at the very thought of what would happen next could be heard up and down the streets. Many people hurried home and locked their doors.  
  
-------  
  
tbc  
  
Despite the entrance of Kunou, and many other Ranma 1/2 characters to come, I still have no intention whatsoever of bringing in the Tendou family. As much fun as they are, they have no place here. I decided on placing them in Nerima mostly because I don't know Japan at all and didn't feel like making up names that would likely have anyone with any knowledge of the language laughing at me. ; Besides, it makes it easier if I don't have to rename things, ne? 


End file.
